Dead of Summer

But I am not inclined to let him have his way.

Kinsley hesitates for one more second before walking in the direction Melody had taken, though I don’t move until she’s looked back at least twice before disappearing behind the cabins as if she’s heading to Otter Hall.

Or, more likely, heading to Liza’s cabin to tell her all about this incident so they can ambush me later.

“We’re not going to stand here, right?” Kayde murmurs, as the Uber he’d taken up here zooms off. “Because this is out in the open, and?—”

I whirl on him, eyes narrowing even though I can feel myself shaking. “Why did you come back?” I demand, trying to keep the fear out of my voice. “Why—why did you—” My words cut off as my throat closes, and I suck in a breath. “You’re right. Anyone could spy on us; like fucking Darcy. She had a goddamn field day with you leaving, you know?” Tears prick hotly at my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall.

Instead, I drag him away from the pick-up and drop off area, taking him toward the nearest clump of trees where, coincidentally, one of my five favorite trees sits between two huge maples. Kayde follows me, not seeming to mind my hand still in his shirt. Hell, he’s barely said anything, and this is so unlike him, I wonder if this is going to go sideways faster than I can imagine.

I have to do something.

And I have to do it fast.

Once we’re at my tree, I turn on him, letting go of Kayde’s shirt as I open my mouth to launch into a tirade of threats, anger, pleas, or whatever else will get him out of Camp Crestview before he can murder any of my kids. There’s no other reason for him to be here. No other point to his presence except that he’s here to finish what he wanted to start two weeks ago.

I have a plan. I have things I want to say to him, and threats I want to make. It’s a shame I don’t have a knife on me, I think, moments before Kayde grips both of my arms, duffel bag forgotten on the ground.

He jerks me forward, and I have just a moment to panic before his lips slant against mine, hard, pulling a whimper from my throat. Kayde presses me against the tree at my back; the one I could totally climb to get away from him if I could just get a little bit of space.

But it’s hard to want that space, or to focus on anything else, when Kayde is…Kayde. I sigh into the kiss, unconsciously parting my lips for his tongue to slip against mine, begging to taste every part of my mouth he can. A soft whine leaves me, though he swallows it eagerly before pulling away.

“You can’t…be here…” I pant, shaking myself to pieces in his arms. He doesn’t let go of me. He just stands there with his hands gripping my elbows and refusing to let me go anywhere. “You left, you?—”

“Tell me what happened with Darcy.” His friendly facade is gone, and he steps forward, pushing me harder against the broad tree trunk. I really can’t move at all now. “What did she say, sweetheart?”

I haven’t heard the pet name in over a week, and somehow it makes something in me crumble. I feel tears in my eyes again, hot and heavy, but I squeeze my eyes shut in an attempt to make them go away.

I fail, of course. They fall, sliding down my cheeks in burning streaks, only to leave uncomfortable, sticky coolness in their wake. I reach up to wipe them away, only to be stopped by Kayde as he leans forward, pressing his tongue to my cheek and following the line of one, then the other.

And God, I can’t help but shudder.

“Don’t do that,” I beg, trying to pull away from him. “Fuck, Kayde, I can’t do this again. You left. You were gone?—”

“Which we’re going to talk about,” Kayde promises flatly. “I’ll tell you, Summer. Explain why I left, where I went. I’ll even tell you where I was that morning when you caught me coming back from the lake. But…” His grip tightens on my arms, and he shoves me against the tree firmly, one thigh pressing against mine so that I’m barely balanced on the balls of my feet and he’s supporting a good portion of my weight.

“Tell me what the fuck Darcy said or did. Now.” He doesn’t yell. He doesn’t raise his voice as he leans in to press his lips under my ear. But the way he speaks makes me shudder, and my spine feels like it’s being shocked with a thousand volts as he runs his mouth over my skin.

“N-no.” I close my eyes, reminding myself that while Darcy is absolutely a bitch, she doesn’t deserve the wrath of Kayde. Probably. “No, you’ll do something awful. You’ll hurt her. I know what you’re here for, Kayde.” Putting all the accusation into the words that I can, and my fingers flex in his shirt. “I don’t know how, but I won’t let you. I wouldn’t let you last time?—”

The barking laugh that leaves him as Kayde stands straight cuts me off, but it also surprises me. So does the incredulous look on his face as he stares at me, surveying my expression. “I see,” he chuckles, still grinning like he can’t believe it. “I didn’t think…” He glances away, shaking his head. “Let me see if I’m understanding correctly.” Kayde shifts, though not enough for me to go anywhere. His hands move, one of them pressing to the base of my throat so his fingers can curl around as much of my neck as possible.

The other grabs both of my hands before I can stop him, and he presses them over my head against the roughness of the bark. “Let me be adamantly clear about this, baby girl.” Kayde leans close once more, his eyes on mine. “As clear as I possibly can. I did not come back to Camp Crestview to kill the kids you value way too much.”

I shift, confused, and I find myself unsure if I can believe him or not. “You didn’t?” I ask finally, bewildered. “But then why come back? What else is here that you want?” Surely it isn’t Darcy.

Kayde just stares at me. Emotions flicker across his face before finally a bemused grin crosses his features. “I came back for you, Summer,” he says at last. Slowly, gently, like he’s talking to a frightened animal that might bolt.

And, admittedly, if I could, I definitely would.

But I’m also sure I misheard. I bite down on my lip, watching Kayde’s eyes flick down to my mouth before coming back up to my eyes. “You…what?” I ask at last. “That’s not funny, Kayde. That’s not?—”

“It’s not funny at all,” he agrees savagely, tightening his grip on my hands and my throat to cut off my air. “Baby, it’s not funny because it’s not a fucking joke. I came back here for you?—”

“You came back because of the?—”

“I came back because I’m in love with you, Summer Walsh. And you’d better understand real quick that I’m going to make sure you feel the same before these kids go home. No matter what I have to do to make that happen.”